Home For The Holidays
by PattiL61
Summary: This is a follow-up to Hana 'a'a Makehewa….  A little downtime for the crew after Chin's  ordeal, but danger always seems to be lurking.  Hope you enjoy. Conclusion up.  Thanks for the reviews and messages.
1. Chapter 1

Home For The Holidays

Chapter 1 –

Steve slowly woke to the sounds of dishes clanking in the kitchen, the smell of coffee brewing, and wait…. is that?…. Yes! Bacon cooking! Rolling over onto his back and stretching, he squinted at the clock as the morning sun shone in through the open window, a slight, still-cool breeze across his bare torso, he saw that it was just 7:00 a.m. And it was Christmas Day. He thought back to last night, about the time he spent with Danny, Gracie and the rest of his team – his family now. They made a nice Christmas for Danny and Gracie before Gracie was picked up by Rachel and Stan to wake up Christmas morning at their house. He remembered the look in Danny's eyes as he watched his daughter drive away. He knew he still had feelings for Rachel – any idiot could see that – but, he knew it killed him every time he had to let Gracie go.

Steve sat up to climb out of bed, feeling the soreness of his muscles after his confrontation with Victor Hess. His mind went back to the sight of all that money burning and flying away with the breeze from the fire pit. His stomach did a flip flop when he thought about how he withheld the information from the Governor about the stolen money. That would weight heavy on his mind until he could come up with a plan.

She must have heard him stir because he was brought back from his thoughts by Catherine's voice calling up to him. "You gonna sleep ALL day, or are you gonna get down here and open up your Christmas present?" He heard her climbing the stairs toward him and smiled as she rounded the doorway and came into the bedroom with a cup of coffee, wearing nothing but one of his shirts.

She closed the distance between the door and the bed and as he took the coffee from her hand, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him. "Oh, I wanna open my present for sure," he grinned, pulling her down on the bed with him while simultaneously putting the coffee cup on the nightstand.

About an hour later, Catherine and Steve made their way downstairs to breakfast – now cold bacon and scrambled eggs. "Well, so much for breakfast," Catherine said, giving Steve a gentle shove from behind.

"Hey – you're the one that brought my Christmas present upstairs!" he teased back. He started clearing the spoiled food away, putting the dishes into the sink as he started filling it with hot water and dish soap. Catherine came around behind and wrapped her arms around his waist, just tall enough to kiss his neck. He savored the feeling of her so close to him for a long moment.

"I'm sorry," he said to her as his hands washed and rinsed the morning's dishes.

"Sorry for what?" she asked him, still holding on.

"I didn't get a chance to get you anything for Christmas. I haven't really celebrated Christmas for a long time," he said, sadness in his voice.

She gave him another hug and let go to get a dishtowel to start drying the dishes. "You've been a little busy, what with Chin and Victor Hess," she said, dismissing his apology. "Besides, I didn't get you anything big."

"So, I talked to Mary yesterday," Catherine offered, changing the subject.

"Really?" he answered, somewhat surprised. "I didn't know she knew your number."

"She doesn't. I was here when she called. I recognized the area code on the caller ID so I answered while you weren't here in case it was urgent. I hope you don't mind," she said apologetically.

He shook his head, "Not at all. So, is everything alright?" he asked, his hands still in the dishwater as he turned toward her, waiting for the bad news.

"She's fine. She wanted you to come visit her for Christmas. I told her I'd have you call her today," she answered.

Finished washing the dishes, he pulled the drain plug and watched as the water ran out of the sink. "Mmmm, I don't think I can leave. What if we get a case or something? I'll give her a call before I head into the office today."

"Today? Steve, its Christmas. I'm sure no one expects you into the office today. You gave the rest of the team the day off at Danny's last night, remember?" she said, leaning against the counter.

"A lot of paperwork to do after yesterday. Its not going to fill itself out," he said, putting the rest of the dishes away. "How about a nice dinner tonight?" he said, reaching for Catherine and pulling her toward him.

"How about you call your sister and make plans to go out and visit her today. Its not that far and its Christmas. You guys just reconnected and I know you miss her," she prodded. "Besides, your team is still in town and they can handle anything that comes up until and if you need to get back. Stay for a couple of days," she urged.

He thought for a moment and finally said, "I'll call her, but no promises."

He released her from the hug and she touched the side of his face as he kissed her. He strode off to his den to call his sister.

To Be Continued…..


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 –

Catherine stopped at the doorway to the den and heard Steve finish a conversation. "Yes, thanks for your help. I'll pick them up at the ticket desk."

He hung up the phone and swiveled the chair around, sensing that Catherine was there. "Looks like we're going to Montana," he announced.

Startled, Catherine replied "We?"

Steve got up and walked toward her. "You don't think I'm leaving you behind for the holidays do you?" he said, pulling her toward him. "I talked to Mary, she's got enough room and would love to see you again. She said under better circumstances this time? What'd she mean by that?" Steve asked, having no idea about how they'd first met each other – Mary coming out of the bathroom while Catherine was walking in that morning, wearing nothing but Steve's shirt.

Catherine chuckled at that, but left him wondering about it. "I knew she'd talk you into it," she said leading him out by the front door, where he saw a suitcase.

"What's this?" he asked with a frown.

"This," Caherine answered, "is your clothes for a few days, including some warmer clothes and a jacket – it is winter in Montana after all," she finished, a satisfied smile on her face.

"You two had this all planned?" he said with surprise.

"Well, pretty much, but Chin's kidnapping almost put the kibosh on the whole thing," she said.

Steve thought for a moment back to how that all could have ended, closed his eyes for a moment and silently thanked God for letting there be a good end result.

Abruptly, he looked at his watch. "Well, we have about an hour to get your things packed and get to the airport. Our tickets are at the ticket desk," he said, grabbing his suitcase, keys and whisking her out the door.

"What? There's no way I can get stuff together and be ready that fast," she protested, allowing herself to be pushed out the door ahead of him.

"Are you kidding me? You're military or did you forget that? You've been trained to be ready to move out at a moment's notice. Let's put it to the test. Besides, if you forget something, I'm _pretty_ sure they have stores in Montana!" he finished sitting her in the passenger seat of his truck and closing the door.

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"Yes, Sir," said the man, sitting in a car just up the road from the McGarrett home. "They are on their way to the airport now. I'll let you know as soon as their flight takes off," he finished, pushing the "End" button on the cell phone.

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Steve and Catherine had finished getting a bag together for her and made sure her superiors were aware of her whereabouts should something come up even though she was off-duty until next week. While Catherine was packing, Steve was on the phone to Chin to check in and see how he was doing and to let him know that he'd be going out of town for a few days. Chin sounded fine despite his ordeal of the previous day and happily replied – almost too happily Steve thought - that he would definitely let the others know.

He looked over and saw the look on Catherine's face. "What's that smirk about?"

She looked over and smiled, reaching over to put her hand on his arm while he was driving. "Nothing. I have to admit I'm kind of excited about getting away with you. Not that we'll be all alone, but still it will be nice. I can't wait," she finished.

"Well, almost all alone. Just Mary," he answered, not noticing the slight, silent chuckle she let out.

He looked over at her again, "Open up the glove box," he told her.

"Why?"

"Just open it," he smirked. She reached down and opened the glove box and there, amongst the papers he had stuffed in there, wrapped in beautiful paper with a bow was a small box.

She picked up the box and held it, looking back at him, "What's this?"

"Your Christmas present," he answered. "You didn't think I'd actually not get you anything did you?" he teased her.

"Oh SHOOT!" she yelled, startling him.

"What?" he asked, startled. He was looking in the rearview mirror and noticing a dark sedan that he'd noticed earlier.

"I left your present at your house! You pushed me out the door and I forgot!" she said with sadness.

He reached over and took one of her hands, "That's okay. I'll open it when we get back home – besides I thought I already had my gift this morning?" he teased with a smile.

She swatted at his hand, noticing him glance again at the rearview mirror. "Well, are you going to open it?" he said with anticipation.

She ripped open the paper to reveal a jewelry store box. She held her breath and slowly opened the box. She gasped and her eyes teared up as she picked up the heart-shaped necklace with her birthstone in it. "It's beautiful, Steve," she said, carefully removing it from the box and holding it as it dangled from her fingers, the sunlight reflecting off the stone and gold of the necklace.

They pulled into the airport long-term parking area, and after parking the truck, Steve reached over to fasten the clasp on the necklace around her neck. He kissed the back of her neck and gave her shoulders a squeeze with his hands. "C'mon, we're cutting it pretty close for our flight," he said, opening the door and going around the back of his truck to grab their bags. She looked at her necklace in the mirror, smiled, and followed him out.

Walking into the airport, she noticed him look around again as if checking for someone following them. "Do you see someone Steve?"

"What? No. Its nothing. My imagination probably after the last couple of days," he said walking quickly over to the ticket desk. He retrieved their tickets and they were told their flight was almost done boarding and they'd better hurry.

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To Be Continued….


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 –

"Yes, Sir. They are in the air. Their flight is scheduled to land in Montana at 8:00 p.m. our time. You're welcome," answered the man that Steve McGarrett had been "noticing" in his rearview mirror and walking through the parking lot as they entered the airport. He was sent by his boss to follow Steve McGarrett and report when he was on a plane and on his way out of Hawaii. He didn't know why he was given the assignment, but he knew better than to ask. He'd seen the result of someone questioning his boss about his instructions or intentions. It wasn't a pretty sight.

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Chin, Kono, Danny and Gracie made their way from Steve's house to the airport. As planned, the group was traveling together to take the next flight to Montana. Mary had arranged the whole thing – had wanted to make a nice family holiday for Steve. She knew that he was always away from home with the Seals for the holidays – always letting the other men in his unit get whatever leave there was to be had around that time.

At the last minute, Rachel had let Danny take Gracie with him to help give Uncle Steve a nice family Christmas, and Danny was more than thrilled.

The team members boarded their flight, not realizing they were being watched as they boarded the plane.

The man following them had been only too glad to give his boss the news that the rest of the team would be out of town for a few days as well. He smiled as he remembered that his boss had told him he would be rewarded for the extra information he had been able to get from his source at the airline ticket desk.

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Catherine and Steve were quietly sitting next to each other on the plane, her hand in his on his lap. She was looking out the window and taking in the sight of the winter landscape as they approached Montana Airport. She looked over toward Steve and saw the peaceful look on his face as he dozed in the seat next to her. She could make out the bruising on his face that was starting to get just a little darker than it was last night and this morning – remnants of his battle with Victor Hess. She looked back out the window as a shiver ran through her when she thought about how it all could have ended yesterday.

Steve was startled awake and instinctively tightened his grip on Catherine's hand. Not realizing what had awakened him, but feeling his grip tighten, she looked over to see Steve regain his sense of where he was and look over at her. "You okay?" he asked, leaning toward her, a frown of concern on his face.

"I'm fine. What woke you?" she answered, seeing the concern in his eyes just before he reflexively looked around the airplane for danger. She was used to that by now. He always frequently took inventory of his surroundings; no doubt a "side effect" of his military profession.

"I felt you move, like a shiver," he answered, looking past her out the window to see they must be near the airport.

Catherine smiled, a small chuckle escaping, "Must be I shivered looking out at the snow. I gotta admit I have a preference for the warmer climates."

He leaned closer, a twinkle in his eye, "No worries. I'll keep you plenty warm," he whispered, finishing with a passionate kiss that made the little girl peeking at them from the seat in front of them giggle. Catherine and Steve looked at the little girl who, being discovered spying, quickly spun around in her seat to face front, leaving them both laughing.

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"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We are about fifteen minutes out of Montana Airport. At this time, we ask that you discard any remaining trash in the garbage bags being brought down the aisle by your Flight Attendants, and please put your tray tables and seatbacks in their full, upright positions. In addition, we ask that all electronic devices be turned off until we have touched down and taxied to the gate. We ask those that are remaining on the flight to our next destination to please remain seated so that those passengers disembarking can do so quickly. You can then change your seats should you wish. Thank you for flying with us and, on behalf of myself and your flight crew, we wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Enjoy your stay in Montana."

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As soon as they had gotten off the plane, Steve turned his phone back on and saw that he had a text message waiting for him. He opened the message and read it.

"Mary's by the gate waiting for us. She told us to get our asses moving before she gets a ticket for parking illegally," he smirked as they both picked up their pace. As they neared the entry from the runway to the gate, Catherine inconspicuously fell back a few steps to let Steve and Mary find each other as they came through the gate.

Catherine clearly saw Mary approaching them as Steve was looking around for her. But then, Catherine knew what to look for and was waiting for Steve to notice her too.

Steve was looking around for Mary and then looked back at Catherine to see why she'd fallen behind. He noticed an odd, happy look on her face and followed her gaze toward the uniformed female approaching them. The shocked look on his face was priceless and Catherine and Mary both broke out laughing as Steve stood still, stunned.

There, before him, stood his sister looking very fit in a police uniform. "What the hell is this?" he asked incredulously. He looked back at Catherine, still stunned. "You knew about this?" Catherine nodded her head, still laughing too hard to get any words out.

"Well, are you gonna give me a hug or what!" Mary chimed in taking two more steps and embracing her brother. He encircled her in his arms and hugged her back and then put his hands on her arms and pushed her back away from him so he could take a look. He read her badge number and name tag, and saw the patch on her arm that read "Montana State Police."

"I can't believe you did this without talking to me first," Steve said. He wasn't sure if he was more happy, angry or frightened to know that she followed her father and brother into law enforcement.

They were walking toward the exit of the airport as Steve looked around, an uneasy feeling that he couldn't pinpoint in the pit of his stomach. He barely heard the excited chattering between Mary and Catherine on their way to Mary's car as he worried about Wo Fat finding out that his sister was now in law enforcement as well.

To be continued….


	4. Chapter 4  Conclusion

Chapter 4

Mary, Steve and Catherine arrived at Mary's townhouse, the first time that Steve had seen where his sister lived.

"Nice digs, Sis," he said to her as he pulled the car into the driveway. Of course he insisted on driving, and no one had questioned him on it; although his sister did have to remind him that this was Montana, not Hawaii; there was ice and slippery conditions that he had to deal with on the drive from the airport, and Catherine could swear that she'd made some indelible finger imprints on the arm rest. As they were just about to her house, it had started to snow again. Catherine had to admit it did look pretty, but that was about the only thing she liked about snow.

"Yeah, well it's not home, Bro." she answered him as they all started to climb out of the car. "Wait!" she said as Steve and Catherine started walking toward the door with their bags. They stopped and looked back at her.

"Come here. Back here by me," she told them.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Steve asked as they started to walk back toward her, thinking that she'd dropped something.

"Nothing's wrong," she said with exasperation. He always thought the worst was about to happen, she thought to herself. "Just come here, I want to show you something."

"Alright, we're here. What is it?" Steve bickered back with her. Catherine couldn't help but chuckle at the sibling rivalries as she remembered the constant bickering between her and her brothers and sisters when they were growing up. Then she realized that Mary and Steve hadn't really had that time to get over the bickering stage and into the conspiratorial stage that siblings finally arrive at as they get older – they'd been ripped apart from each other before they could get that relationship.

"Both of you, turn around and look what I did – its perfect now that its snowing," she said with excitement. Steve and Catherine turned around and Mary pushed the button on a remote of some kind that she pulled from her pocket as they faced her house. Suddenly, Christmas lights lit up around the outside of the house, including the lighted, animated snowman and Santa that she'd placed in the front yard.

"Merry Christmas, Bro!" she exclaimed, and was pleased to see the look of almost childish happiness on Steve's face as he took in the view.

"Oh, Mary, its beautiful," Catherine was the first to speak.

Steve put his arm around his sister's shoulders and pulled her toward him. "It is, Mare. Thanks," he said, planting a kiss on her cheek, which in turn made a tear form in her eyes.

"Okay," Mary said, wiping the tear away quickly. "Its freezing, let's get inside and get you guys settled. You must be exhausted."

In the excitement of the moment, no one noticed the car that quietly crept by the house, turned around up the street and passed again on the way out of the street after they were all inside.

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Chin, Kono, Gracie and Danny were just getting to the baggage claim to get their bags. Danny had been trying to keep Grace somewhat calm – she was so excited to be going to a new state and to have a big Christmas get together with Uncle Steve and the rest of the 5-0 team. Danny had explained to her that Uncle Steve didn't know they were coming and that's why they had to get a rental car to get from the airport to Mary's house – just more excitement for her!

Chin was now waiting to get the rental car and no one noticed the man that was sitting near the baggage claim pretending to read a newspaper while they were getting their bags and car. The man watched as Chin returned with the paperwork and keys for the car. They all trudged out to the rental car area and the man put down the paper, slowly followed as he dialed his cell phone.

"Yes, Sir – the rest of them have arrived. They're picking up the rental car. There's another person – a child. She seems to be with Detective Williams. I just wanted you to know," the man informed the person on the other end of the phone. "Do you want me to keep following them?" Getting an answer of yes, the man continued to follow at a safe distance.

As the 5-0 team climbed into the vehicle, the watcher's driver slowly pulled up to the curb and he got in. They followed the team at a safe distance.

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Back in Hawaii at the McGarrett residence, a lone person was creeping up the property line, protected by the dark and the cover of the bushes. He made his way up to the house, peeking in the windows to make sure no one was inside. With a quick glance back to the street and then up and down the street, he kept in the shadows and crept around to the back of the house. He efficiently disabled the alarm system that Steve had installed after Wo Fat's crew had broken into the house to take the Champ Box.

Once at the rear of the house, he knocked on the door to check again that no one was home. Satisfied that the house was empty, he reached into the black bag he had on his back and used the tool to cut a hole in the glass of the door, reach in and unlock the door.

Looking out at the area again, he opened the door just enough to slip in and close it behind him. As instructed, he'd looked around the house to see if there were any other items or files that McGarrett may have had to use against Wo Fat in the future. He found nothing and cringed at the idea that he'd probably be sent to the 5-0 headquarters to search since nothing was found at the house.

He had further been instructed to obtain Steve's fingerprints; his boss had plans to use them to frame Steve should the need arise later on.

Having completed his assignments, the man snuck back out the rear door, making sure that there was no evidence that anyone was in the house. Having closed and locked the door behind him, he took the last item – a branch from one of the trees outside and made it appear as though it had fallen from the nearby tree and up against the door, breaking the glass.

With that, he was gone, he enabled the alarm system, knowing that a signal was being sent to the alarm company and that the police would be dispatched to the residence. He quickly slipped away from the property and out of the neighborhood.

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Steve and Mary were sitting in her living room, a nice fire in the fireplace and Catherine fixing them a light snack in the kitchen so the two would have some time to catch up with each other.

Steve was looking around the room and Mary couldn't help but notice that there was something Steve wanted to say. "Spit it out," she finally said to him.

His attention was brought to her. He looked at her for a moment, tying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to fight with her, but he'd wished she had talked to him before becoming a law enforcement officer. She'd always been kind of flighty and he was worried that might get her in trouble in a dangerous situation. Although she did have good instincts – look at what she'd done to help him and his team out when the tool box had been taken. If not for those pictures, they'd have been effectively stifled in their investigation into their father's murder.

"Mary, this was a great idea. I haven't had a Christmas since Mom died and Dad since…," he trailed off.

"Since we got shipped out after Mom died. I know," she finished the sentence for him. "We're all we have now, Bro," she said. "But, that's not what you want to say, Steve. I can see the wheels turning in your head – you know you were never able to keep anything from me when we were growing up," she teased him. "Spit it out, I've been waiting for it since I picked you up at the airport."

"When did you decide to become a cop? Why didn't you talk to me first. This is a big thing – a dangerous thing," he said, all the words falling out in quick succession.

"I know it's a dangerous thing, but I just…. I needed to do something after I left Hawaii again. Who knew when I'd be able to come home – until you thought it would be safe for me to come home again. I got back to L.A., had no job, no real life there. I ended up in my car, driving. I ended up here in this town and I got a job and bought this place. Then, one day I was looking through the pictures on my phone – the ones from the Champ Box were still on my phone and I got to thinking….. about what Kono said about being in the "family biz." Even though it was terrifying being in that car trunk, the rest of it; trying to track down my kidnappers and the items from the box, it was exciting. I decided to give the "family biz" as Kono put it a try. I did really well, finished in the top five of the Academy," she said.

He interrupted her, "How did you get into the Academy, Mary? Usually, you have to have recommendations to get into a police academy."

"Well," she started her answer hesitantly. "I got a very good letter from my brother, the head of the 5-0 Task Force in Hawaii," she said expecting to see the anger in his face, but instead finding his amusement. "And then, Governor Jameson wrote on my behalf as well. I asked her to keep it confidential," she quickly added before Steve could get angry at the Governor for keeping it from him. "I didn't want anyone to know until I'd done it, finished it. I don't have the best track record for following through."

He stared at her for a moment. "Are you happy, do you enjoy it?" he asked her finally.

"I do, Steve," she answered. "The chance to help people is amazing. I love it," she said with a genuine smile that Steve hadn't seen since they were kids.

Catherine came out from the kitchen with a tray full of food. Just as she placed it on the coffee table, the doorbell rang. They all looked at each other, Steve tensing up, always expecting the worst.

"You expecting anyone?" he asked his sister as he looked at the late hour on the clock.

"As a matter of fact, I am Bro," she answered as she stood next to Catherine – both of them with smiles on their faces. "Why don't you open the door?" she instructed her brother.

Warily he made his way to the front door and opened it. He was immediately hugged at the knees by Grace as the rest of the crew all yelled "Merry Christmas!"

Everyone piled into the house, and there was laughing and hugging. Grace was sitting on Steve's lap, leaning against his chest, sound asleep. It was the best feeling in the world having all his friends and family together. Even though he wasn't in Hawaii, for the first time in years, he felt he was truly home for the holidays.

He made eye contact with his sister, reached out to grab her hand and mouthed the word, "Mahalo."

**-The End.**


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